Wilsonian Visions: The Williamstown Institute of Politics and American Internationalism after the First World War

The Williamstown Institute of Politics, founded in 1921 by Harry A. Garfield, was a key forum for American liberal internationalism in the aftermath of World War I. It promoted an informed perspective on world politics and attracted scholars, diplomats, and peace activists from around the world. James McAllister's book, Wilsonian Visions, recovers the Institute's history and restores its rightful status in US foreign relations, showing it to be a formative institution as the country transitioned from domestic isolation to global engagement.

Format: Hardback
Length: 294 pages
Publication date: 15 November 2021
Publisher: Cornell University Press

In the aftermath of the First World War, a significant forum of American liberal internationalism emerged at the Williamstown Institute of Politics. Founded in 1921 by Harry A. Garfield, the president of Williams College, the Institute aimed to promote an informed perspective on world politics, despite the United States retreating from the Wilsonian vision of active involvement in European political affairs. Situated on the Williams campus in the picturesque Berkshire Mountains of Western Massachusetts, the Institute's annual summer session of lectures and roundtables drew scholars, diplomats, and peace activists from across the globe. Newspapers and press services extensively covered the proceedings and controversies of the Institute, engaging an American public divided over fundamental questions about US involvement in the world.

In the early 1900s, at Princeton University, Garfield and Wilson forged a profound political and intellectual bond, laying the foundation for the Institute's progressive era origins. McAllister's book, Wilsonian Visions, delves into the Institute's history, tracing its roots back to the tragedy of the First World War and Garfield's disappointment in America's failure to join the League of Nations. It also highlights the Progressive Era influences and the crucial relationship between Garfield and Wilson.

Through extensive research and the use of previously unexamined archival materials, Wilsonian Visions restores the Institute to its rightful place in the intellectual history of US foreign relations. It demonstrates that the Institute was a formative institution as the country transitioned from domestic isolationism to a more active role in global affairs. The book sheds light on the important contributions made by the Institute in shaping American foreign policy and international relations during a critical period of history.

Weight: 28g
Dimension: 229 x 152 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781501759932